LAFFlines #8: Easy Favorite Spaghetti Squash
LAFF Spaghetti Squash
“What’s your sister going to do with all that squash?” Farmer Ron once asked my brother at the Blacksburg Farmers Market. Six years later, I don’t remember what I did with that particular 35 pound haul of butternut, honey, acorn, and spaghetti squash. What I do know is what I did with spaghetti squash this week, for lunch—twice.
The Japanese agricultural encyclopedia Seikei Zusetsu (1804) included an illustration of spaghetti squash (left side).
This LAFF spaghetti squash requires only 10 minutes of hands-on time (photos below instructions):
Set your oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop the ends off of the squash. Stand the squash on one end and slice it length-wise from top to bottom. Cut a triangular notch out of each end (this makes it easier to remove the seeds). Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and guts. Poke the squash flesh all over with a fork. Place the squash flesh-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake the squash for 60 minutes. (Oh, frabjous day—you’ve got an hour to do whatever it is you want/need to do! Last week, I graded students’ mini-essays.)
Remove the squash from the oven. Carefully transfer one of the squash halves to a plate. (I simply leave on my oven mitts and pick up the squash.)
Place ½ cup LAFF crumbles, 2-4 tablespoons of Everything hummus, and 10-12 strips of oil-packed sundried tomatoes in the center of the squash. Use a fork to pull the spaghetti squash strands away from the squash skin. Swirl the strands with the LAFF, hummus, and tomatoes until you have a lovely little self-contained bowl of squash.
Notes:
The size of the squash will affect cooking time. I’ve had large specimens take 70 minutes. The squash is cooked when it’s fork-tender. You can test the tenderness by using a fork to prod the edges of the squash. The strands should easily detach from the skin and separate from each other. The squash itself will take on a sheen and be slightly translucent.
The heat of the spaghetti squash warms the LAFF and hummus. Of course, you can microwave the LAFF for 30 seconds before adding it to the squash.
Add salt, pepper, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, olives, roasted garlic, leftover roasted vegetables, avocado, mushrooms…
My favorite flavor hummus for this dish is Everything (as in Everything But the Bagel). Roasted Red Pepper hummus comes in second.
Where to get LAFF this week
You can find LAFF in the freezer section of Eats. Eats closes at 5 pm on Christmas Eve and is closed on Christmas Day.
You can order LAFF online any day. Free delivery is available this week on December 22, 23, 24, 27, and 28. (No delivery on December 25-26).
Last Bit of Cheer
As I type this newsletter, I think back to 2018 when we moved to Virginia from Chicago. I was worried about leaving the Windy City’s iconic food scene. It turns out that (1) Blacksburg is every bit as windy as Chicago; (2) if Chicago is the City of Big Shoulders, then Blacksburg is the Town of Big Squash; and (3) big squash is preferable to big shoulders…unless we’re talking about my swimmer husband Steve’s shoulders (no hummus necessary).
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Abby
P.S. When it comes to Christmas pajamas, Freyja and Rose give the Grinch a run for his money. (Picture from last December.)
